Women's EURO reporter predictions: Winners, best players, breakout stars and dark horses
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
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Who will lift the trophy? Who will star? Who will top the goal charts – and who could announce themselves? UEFA.com asked each of its 16 UEFA Women's EURO team reporters for their tournament predictions.
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UEFA.com has reporters embedded with each of the 16 teams at UEFA Women's EURO 2022. We gauged their opinion, albeit denying them the right to tip their 'own' team for the biggest prize of all.
Joanna Kozak, Austria
Winners: Sweden
Player of the tournament: Lauren Hemp (England)
Top scorer: Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France)
Breakout star: Ella Toone (England)
Best young player: Jule Brand (Germany)
Dark horses: Norway
Sneaky feeling: Despite all their incredibly talented players, France have achieved little on the international stage over the past decade, having last reached a major semi-final at the 2012 Olympics. Les Bleues can never be written off, but their past record doesn't suggest that success will come at this year's finals.
If Austria were a song they would be... Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. Austria are not favourites but they showed at Women's EURO 2017 what they can achieve with faith and hard work.
Alyssa Saliou, Belgium
Winners: Sweden
Player of the tournament: Stina Blackstenius (Sweden)
Top scorer: Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands)
Breakout star: Ella Toone (England)
Best young player: Lauren Hemp (England)
Dark horses: Norway
Sneaky feeling: Germany will either fail to get through the group stage or win the tournament. There is no in-between for them.
If Belgium were a song they would be... Don't Stop Me Now by Queen. This Women's EURO is about two things for Belgium: getting as far as possible, and having a great time in the process. One way and another, Don't Stop Me Now covers it. Let's hope they have a ball.
Sture Sandø, Denmark
Winners: Spain
Player of the tournament: Leah Williamson (England)
Top scorer: Signe Bruun (Denmark)
Breakout star: Kathrine Kühl (Denmark)
Best young player: Jule Brand (Germany)
Dark horses: Germany
Sneaky feeling: After losing in the semi-finals in 2013 and the final in 2017, this is the year that Denmark will go all the way (if Spain don't spoil it for them).
If Denmark were a song they would be... Run the World (Girls) by Beyoncé. Women's football is on the rise in Denmark, and with great support from their travelling fans, they will take the tournament by storm.
Lynsey Hooper, England
Winners: Sweden
Player of the tournament: Lauren Hemp (England)
Top scorer: Stina Blackstenius (Sweden)
Breakout star: Beth Mead (England)
Best young player: Lauren Hemp (England)
Dark horses: Italy
Sneaky feeling: Reigning champions the Netherlands will exit at the quarter-final stage.
If England were a song they would be... Football's Coming Home, of course – and how fitting with this tournament being staged in England.
Mikael Erävuori, Finland
Winners: England
Player of the tournament: Wendie Renard (France)
Top scorer: Pernille Harder (Denmark)
Breakout star: Aurora Galli (Italy)
Best young player: Lauren Hemp (England)
Dark horses: Norway
Sneaky feeling: You can never really count them out, but Germany will bow out in the quarter-finals... at best.
If Finland were a song they would be... Unite and Win by Sham 69. Finland will need to come together as a tight-knit team to gain success.
Vanessa Tomaszewski, France
Winners: Spain
Player of the tournament: Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
Top scorer: Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
Breakout star: Clara Matéo (France)
Best young player: Selma Bacha (France)
Dark horses: Iceland
Sneaky feeling: England will endure another near miss and hit the buffers at the semi-final stage for the third successive major tournament.
If France were a song they would be... Hall of Fame by The Script. The whole country is hopeful of a first-ever title.
Anna-Sophia Vollmerhausen, Germany
Winners: England
Player of the tournament: Leah Williamson (England)
Top scorer: Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France)
Breakout star: Lauren Hemp (England)
Best young player: Klara Bühl (Germany)
Dark horses: Sweden
Sneaky feeling: Group D will be wonderfully wild, chaotic and unpredictable.
If Germany were a song they would be... Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.
Andri Valsson, Iceland
Winners: France
Player of the tournament: Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
Top scorer: Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands)
Breakout star: Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir (Iceland)
Best young player: Lauren Hemp (England)
Dark horses: Norway
Sneaky feeling: Because the players have had to wait five long years since the last Women's EURO, they are raring to go – and I am expecting more goals and higher quality than ever before.
If Iceland were a song they would be... Love Shine a Light by Katrina and The Waves. If there is one thing Icelanders love even more than their national team, it’s Eurovision. The nation is now united behind the girls and hoping they will shine together and light up hearts with exciting performances in England.
Vieri Capretta, Italy
Winners: Spain
Player of the tournament: Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
Top scorer: Ellen White (England)
Breakout star: Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France)
Best young player: Agnese Bonfantini (Italy)
Dark horses: Italy
Sneaky feeling: England, playing on home soil, could match the men's team from last summer by reaching the final at Wembley only to fall just short of lifting the trophy.
If Italy were a song they would be... A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay. The sky is blue like the Azzurre and Italy are hoping to showcase many stars.
Derek Brookman, Netherlands
Winners: England
Player of the tournament: Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
Top scorer: Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands)
Breakout star: Lauren Hemp (England)
Best young player: Julie Blakstad (Norway)
Dark horses: Austria
Sneaky feeling: Inspired by the recent success of the men's team in international tournaments, the French will go a long way – maybe even to the final.
If the Netherlands were a song they would be... Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. They got knocked down with the 5-1 mauling they suffered at the hands of England in June, but they can still get up again.
Samantha Miller, Northern Ireland
Winners: Sweden
Player of the tournament: Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
Top scorer: Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands)
Breakout star: Lauren Hemp (England)
Best young player: Ella Toone (England)
Dark horses: Norway
Sneaky feeling: Germany and Italy will do better than people expect…
If Northern Ireland were a song they would be... Unforgettable by French Montana.
Philip O'Connor, Norway
Winners: Sweden
Player of the tournament: Stina Blackstenius (Sweden)
Top scorer: Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
Breakout star: Jule Brand (Germany)
Best young player: Lauren Hemp (England)
Dark horses: Denmark
Sneaky feeling: England will struggle to deal with the pressure and will miss out on the semi-finals.
If Norway were a song they would be... Take On Me by A-Ha – upbeat, stylish and capable of hitting untold heights!
Carlos Machado, Portugal
Winners: Spain
Player of the tournament: Pernille Harder (Denmark)
Top scorer: Esther González (Spain)
Breakout star: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain)
Best young player: Kika Nazareth (Portugal)
Dark horses: England
Sneaky feeling: Germany will struggle to get past the group stage.
If Portugal were a song they would be... Happy by Pharrell Williams – the smiles and happiness of all the players were obvious in the camp after they edged through to the finals.
Simon Hart, Spain
Winners: Sweden
Player of the tournament: Stina Blackstenius (Sweden)
Top scorer: Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
Breakout star: Aitana Bonmati (Spain)
Best young player: Lauren Hemp (England)
Dark horses: Norway
Sneaky feeling: Hopefully Spain can shrug off Alexia's loss and travel far but the strongest challenge to the hosts could come from one of the Nordic nations.
If Spain were a song they would be... Billy Ocean's 1970s hit Red Light Spells Danger. For the opposition, hopefully.
Alexandra Jonson, Sweden
Winners: France
Player of the tournament: Wendie Renard (France)
Top scorer: Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France)
Breakout star: Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Sweden)
Best young player: Claudia Pina (Spain)
Dark horses: Italy
Sneaky feeling: That Spain will fly through the group stage but then fall early and hard in the knockout phase, struggling to handle the weight of expectation.
If Sweden were a song they would be... We Will Rock You by Queen. This current Sweden squad is a very tight group ready to shake all comers at this EURO.
Judith Tuffentsammer, Switzerland
Winners: France
Player of the tournament: Wendie Renard (France)
Top scorer: Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway)
Breakout star: Riola Xhemaili (Switzerland)
Best young player: Jule Brand (Germany)
Dark horses: Italy
Sneaky feeling: Although there are so many favourites, I wouldn't be surprised if we have an underdog in the semi-finals again.
If Switzerland were a song they would be... Take This Lonely Heart by Nothing But Thieves.
